Cutting Through The Noise
Session 1

The first session in the CMDA series was facilitated by Dr. Nishant Shah, Director of Research at the ArtEZ University of the Arts, and Dr. Padmini Ray Murray - independent design researcher, and founder of feminist design collective, Design Beku.

The session identified the ways in which a cultural manager’s work can be translated into digital practices and platforms.

“Technological challenges are not about tech innovation, but about structure and stability.” Dr. Shah explored the concept of 'truthiness' - in tech, and in relation to arts and culture. He made us question the structures that exist within the digital realm while he spoke about the origins of data-driven tech and AI.

Citing the example of a story submission into a writing contest by an AI bot, Dr. Shah raised questions about authorship, authority and authenticity. If AI writes a story, who is the author? Who has the authority over a deceased artist’s work? Through the session and peer discussions, the cohort identified and discussed the challenges in their own work through the lenses of authorship, authority, and authenticity.

The three A’s provided a framework for exploring a digital practice and allowed them to reimagine their work.

Additional reading material